Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has recently called the Seagulls 'the best team in the world at building up from the back' and the south-coast side immediately displayed their prowess with Alexis Mac Allister guilty of spurning two early opportunities.
Having somewhat lurked in the shadows recently, Mykhailo Mudryk remained an effective outlet for Chelsea however, and his driving runs resulted in chances for the Londoners and provided the narrative for an expansive and hugely entertaining first half.
It was another youngster, Evan Ferguson who almost opened the scoring with an effort that cannoned off the woodwork, but, despite finding themselves under intense pressure, Chelsea would break their scoring duck in fortuitous circumstances.
Conor Gallagher drove at the Brighton backline and his effort took a huge ricochet before beating looping over Robert Sánchez.
That goal only served to poke the Brighton bear however, and, after forcing Kepa into several spectacular saves, they levelled through Danny Welbeck, who added the finishing touch to Pascal Gross’s whipped delivery.
The visitors’ continued to hound their hosts after the break, pinning them into their own half to the surprise of the Stamford Bridge faithful.
Their attacking tempo and vice-like defensive press was too much for Chelsea to deal with, and the chasm of quality between the sides was as evident as Brighton’s seven point Premier League point lead coming into the afternoon. Perhaps relieved to see his side weather the storm as the hour mark approached, Lampard responded by making a triple change.
The shuffle did little to change the shape of the contest however, as Brighton continued to stretch the Chelsea ranks, often through Kaoru Mitoma, whose solo runs were a constant headache to his hosts.
It was unsurprising when the Blues eventually saw their dams burst with 20 minutes to go, as Julio Enciso unleashed an unstoppable 25-yard rocket into the top corner.
That incredible strike only intensified the Seagulls’ sky-high confidence as they strolled to victory with Chelsea failing to land a glove in the closing stages.
Roberto de Zerbi will be extremely satisfied with his side’s performance and may see this deserved victory as perfect preparation for a FA Cup semi-final meeting with Manchester United next Sunday.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton & Hove Albion)
